I’m writing to express my support for Dwayne Hunn’s well thought out and articulated proposal for a an American World Service volunteer job corps that would place Americans (in the) Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Teacher Corps, Doctors Sans Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, OxFam, Mercy Corps, and State Conservation Corps members in vitally needed locales and offer a million Americans the opportunity to serve at home or abroad. These organizations do exemplary work and thereby offer Americans a variety of non-military opportunities to employ and develop a variety of skill sets dedicated to problem solving, enhancing peace and prosperity.

I am writing to express my appreciation for your work to advance expanded opportunities for Americans to increase voluntarily service in effective governmental and non-governmental organizations. Your work to promote the American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposal initiated by citizens and the People’s Lobby, Inc. exemplifies your interest in community service and I applaud your efforts.

Volunteers participating in world service programs gain a deeper understanding of communities other than their own and reflect a level of civic involvement that allows deeper thought and broader generosity of sprit to the benefit the world at large.

WE, the Marin County Board of Supervisors, hereby proclaim our support for People’s Lobby American World Service Corps Congressional Proposals (AWSCP) that will create an additional one million American volunteers serving in pockets of need at home and abroad; and

WHEREAS, the AWSCP proposals’ mission is to dramatically increase the number of can-do Americans voluntarily serving through existing effective organizations (such as the Peace Corps, Ameri-Corps, Habitat for Humanity, Head Start, Doctors Without Borders, Red Cross, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, OxFam, and State Conservation Corps, etc.) in order to help make the 21st century safer; and

WHEREAS, the AWSCP proposals, as reflected in the core missions of the recognizable organizations, would offer peaceful, productive, skill building service to Americans ages18 through 70+ in a time when Americans desire and need to serve; and

WHEREAS, the AWSCP would be more cost effective and produce more skilled, trained, can-do Americans with a deeper understanding of domestic and international policy needs; and

WHEREAS, the AWSCP would produce service completion educational bonus payments or Medical Savings, home down payments, IRA Account investments, or tax credits, and thereby strengthen our knowledge, economy, and competitiveness; and

WHEREAS, the World Service Corps proposals will exhibit America’s team building skills that exemplifies our productive skills, courage, and determination to the world; and

WHEREAS, such service offers Federal, State, and local governments the means to more effectively deal with the aftermath of calamities, build knowledge and understanding among American and world citizens while reducing foreign and domestic crisis management costs; and

WHEREAS, AWSCP will save money for all branches of government who can then dedicate revenues to improving the quality of life for its citizens.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Marin County Board of Supervisors encourages other local governments to pass similar resolutions encouraging bipartisan congressional representatives to promptly introduce and pass the AWSCP proposals into law.

PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Marin held on this 18th day of March 2008, by the following vote:

Barack Obama

October 9, 2007

Dwayne Hunn
People’s Lobby Inc.
359 Jean Street
Mill Valley, CA 94941

Dear Dwayne,

Thank you very much for sharing your materials about the American World Service Corps. Active efforts like yours make this journey worthwhile. I hope you will continue to follow our campaign for change. If you want to get involved right away, visit My.BarackObama.com and register for events in your area.

I am writing to express my support for the American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposals initiated by citizens and the People‘s Lobby, Inc. I believe that in this increasingly complex world, we need new resources to face the challenges of tomorrow.

To address those challenges adequately, we need to engage and involve more Americans in domestic as well as international concerns. Doing so not only improves the world; it also increases our understanding of the complexities facing us at home and abroad.

The AWSC Congressional Proposals provide an opportunity for Americans to learn about and address the growing number of problems. AWSC involves Americans in building ourcapacity to seek solutions through service and peaceful means. By having one million Americans each year voluntarily work in effective governmental and non-governmental organizations, the program provides Americans with the capacity and insights to produce significant improvements in each state, our nation, and the world.

These opportunities can inspire more California Conservation Corps members to work on many basic infrastructure needs in our parks and on our levees. We need more Head Start teachers and assistants, and more AmeriCorps volunteers to work on environmental needs. Peace Corps members can contribute value services to developing nations and build good will internationally. Volunteers with the Red Cross and International Rescue Committee can assist in emergencies around the globe.

Volunteers participating in the AWSC benefit by gaining a deeper understanding of communities other than their own. They are also rewarded with other incentives including funds for education, down-payments on homes, medical savings and IRA account deposits.

Today, Americans are increasingly aware that the political process needs more citizen involvement to offset the lopsided power of special interests. Efforts such as those by the

People’s Lobby, Inc. reflect a level of civic involvement that allows Americans to help create laws that benefit all of us.

For these reasons, I strongly encourage citizens and our Congress to add the AWSC Congressional Proposals to our nation’s toolbox.

Sincerely,

LONI HANCOCK Assemblywoman

lh:tw

“…Today, Americans are increasingly aware that the political process needs more citizen involvement to offset the lopsided power of special interests. Efforts such as those by the People’s Lobby, Inc. reflect a level of civic involvement that allows Americans to help create laws that benefit all of us.

For these reasons, I strongly encourage citizens and our Congress to add the AWSC Congressional Proposals to our nation’s toolbox…”

My name is Marc Gold and I am the director of the 100 Friends Project. I have been operating this nonprofit charity for the past 19 years.

The idea is very simple. Every year many people contribute to the project and I take the money to Third World Countries and look for the neediest people I can find. I then put the money to work in the most compassionate, appropriate, culturally compatible, constructive and practical manner possible. You put the donation into my hands and I put the funds directly into the hands of the needy individual or family, or a small trusted grassroots organization helping them.

100 Friends has been able to provide assistance to thousands of needy people in many countries. I have now completed twelve humanitarian missions and dispensed over $250,000 directly into the hands of needy people all over the world. I try to find people who are not being assisted by anyone else. I make sure that the person needing the help really receives it. The donor puts it in my hands and I put it in the hands of the needy for housing, medical expenses, education, living expenses, small business development and many other purposes. I report the results back to the donors and answer any questions they may have about the process.

I am writing this letter to express my highest and full support of the citizen initiated American World Service Corps congressional proposal. I can speak with a special authority and expertise on the topic because for the past 19 years I have been doing exactly what this proposal intends to accomplish in the real world in many countries. I am only one person, but what I have been able to accomplish for thousands of poor people has been simply phenomenal.

If this proposal was enacted as written it would be the greatest tool imaginable to improve the battered image of the United States and would restore it to its former high place in people’s mind. It would be a fantastic opportunity to undue the damage to our national prestige and to show, in face to face encounters, the good ideas and humanitarian values that this nation is based upon

If enacts, this proposal would drive a stake through the heart of the propaganda that comes from Al Queda and other terrorist cells that seeks to portray us as “the enemy”. And this proposal is cost-effective and would make a powerful statement all over the world. It would also be a fantastic opportunity for young people to manifest their ideals in a troubled world.
If you have any questions, please feel to contact me at any time.

As your State Senator, I would like to express my support for the American World Service Corps (AWSC) Congressional Proposals initiated by citizens and the People’s Lobby. In California and across the nation, we have many unaddressed needs that will exacerbate the challenges we will face tomorrow.

To address those challenges adequately, we need to involve more Americans and Californians in addressing domestic as well as international concerns. Doing so not only improves the world, it also increases our understanding of the complexities facing us at home and abroad.

The AWSC Congressional Proposals for Americans provide an opportunity for Americans to learn about and address the growing number of problems that are lying on our doorstep. By having a million Americans a year voluntarily work in effective governmental and non-governmental organizations, the program provides can-do Americans with the capacity and insights to produce significant improvements in each state, our nation, and the world.

We need to inspire more California Conservation Corps members to work on many of our basic infrastructure needs in our parks and on our levees, with appropriate technology. We need more Headstart teachers and assistants, and more Americorps volunteers to work on environmental needs. We need concerned volunteers to be rewarded with funds for education, down-payments on homes, medical savings and IRA account deposits.

Today, Americans are increasingly aware that the political process needs more citizen involvement to offset the lopsided power of special interests. People’s Lobby reflects the level of civic involvement that allows Americans to help create laws that benefit all of us.

For these reasons, I strongly encourage citizens and our Congress to add the AWSC Congressional Proposals to our nation’s toolbox. We can make a lot of progress in our world, and the AWSC involves Americans in building our capacity to fix those needs peacefully.

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Ask not…

"My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country."

John F. Kennedy

"This world of ours... must avoid becoming a community of dreadful fear and hate, and be, instead, a proud confederation of mutual trust and respect."

Dwight D. Eisenhower

"We have it in our power to begin the world over again."

Thomas Paine

AWSC volunteer with global neighbor

I have only one yardstick by which I test every major problem - and that yardstick is: Is it good for America?

WAR is a racket. It always has been.It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

Maverick Marine: General Smedley D. Butler

“We have too many men of science too few men of God. We have grasped the mystery of the atom and rejected the Sermon on the Mount… The world has achieved brilliance without wisdom, power without conscience. Ours is a world of nuclear giants and ethical infants. We know more about war than we know about peace, more about killing than we know about living.”

General Omar Bradley, Former Chief of Staff, U.S. Army

American Hiroshima, Introduction, David Dionisi

"If those in power had a global conscience, there would no longer be poverty in the world. We would treat other peoples' children like they were our own children."